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988 B
988 B
Isaiah 37 General Notes
Structure and formatting
Some translations set each line of poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to make it easier to read. The ULB does this with the poetry in 37:22-38.
Special concepts in this chapter
Tearing clothes and putting on sackcloth
This was a sign of great distress. While it is often accompanies repentance, in this chapter it is intended to show the king's anger at the blasphemy of the Assyrians when they spoke against Yahweh. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sign and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/repent and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/blasphemy)
Prayer
Hezekiah was different from the other kings because when he was threatened by Assyria, he went to Yahweh in prayer. He did not trust in his army or make an alliance with Egypt. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/trust)